Grain aspirator



E. N. BATES GRAIN ASPIRATOR Filed Sept. 12,

WITNEE SE5 INVENTUR ERAETUE NEiTEE.

Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES tantra Parent orrics.

ERASTUS N. BATES, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON, DEDICr'iTED, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE CITIZENS OF THE "UNITED STATES.

GRAIN ASPIRATOR.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT DE To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERASTUS N. Barns, a citizen of the United States, and an employee of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America, residing at Portland, Oregon (whose post-ofiice address is 519 Post Office Building, Portland, Oregon), have invented a new and useful Grain Aspirator, of which the following is a full and clear description.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat, 625), and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its otiicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government or any person in the United States without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which may be attached to a normal threshing machine for the purpose of removing from the threshed grain, light and small particles of foreign matter which have not been removed by the threshing machine in its normal threshing operation.

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of my invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of the device showing the relation of parts when attached to a threshing machine elevator; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section of what I shall hereafter term the aspirator head; Figure is a vertical cross-section of what I shall hereafter term the collecting chamber; Figure a is a top view of the distributing cone on which the grain falls from the thresher elevator; Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section through the center of the distributing cone showing the flexible pivot connection at the center of the cone; Figure 6 is a side view showing the aspirator head connected directly to the suction fan without using the collecting chamber.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a cylinder at the top of which is riveted a tapering connection V, which runs smoothly into a circular cylinder for a pipe connection N. Inserted through this connection member V is a vertical pipe 0. Below the Serial No. 737,368.

MARCH 3, 1883; 22 STAT. L. 625.)

cylinder A, is attached a frustrum of an irregular circular cone U which connects the small circular opening M with the cylinder A. intersecting the long side U of the cone U, is a portion of an irregular circular cone K so placed that its circular open base H is concentric with the cylinder A. The portion of cone 1; extending beyond its intersection with cone U is removed leaving an opening 3, allowing the free passage of air through. this cone K to the inside of the cylinder A. Attached to the upper edge I? of cone K by means of sheet metal straps 1 is the plate 1. Attached over the center of the plate I by means of a loosely fitted rivet H, is the low inverted right cone F. The base of cone F is approximately equal in diameter to the diameter of plate I. The level of cone F may be adjusted to any position within the limits of its movement by means of two rods G, spaced 90 degrees apart, flexibly attached to cone F, penetrating plate I and made temporarily fast to cone K by thumb screws W. In the opening B where the short elements of cone K intersect cone U, and at the lower portion of cylinder A, is placed an inverted V-shaped piece of metal L, so arranged that grain will not lodge between the cones K and U but will be conducted through cone U around the side of cone K to the opening M in bone U. A pipe M is secured at the opening M, the function of which is to convey the cleaned grain to hopper or other receptacles (not shown).

Figure 3 consists of a pipe C, connected by the frustrum of a right circular cone C to pipe Y. Pipe C is capped by an annular-shaped plate U through which passes the pipe 21 extending to a point below the opening T in pipe '7 In pipe Y are placed two valves P each. consisting of an elliptical plate hinged along the minor axis, the top half of plate being suitably secured to said pipe by either rivets or solder. The lower half of this ellipticallyshaped plate is free to swing on its hinge P and is automatically held in a closed position by the adjustable weights Q.

D represents suitable centrifugal exhauster connected by pipe 'i either directly to the opening N of the aspirator head as shown in Figure 6 or to the expansion chamber opening T and thenceby a similar size pipe Z fro-m opening in S to opening at N in the aspirator head as shown in Figure 1. Locatedin the pipe 1 is a butterfly valve E so constructed that it can be clamped in any desirable position.

The structural parts constituting my device may be constructed of any material which is sufficiently strong and durable to withstand the strain of operation to which it may be subjected. I prefer to construct the partsofgalvanized iron about No.. 24 gauge. The rigid connections should be riveted and, all connections should be :approximately air tight. In connecting the different parts of the device it is usually desirable to use universal elbows in thepiping in order to allow more flexibility. The relation .of the various parts of the invention are as follows:

flhe aspirator head is attached to the pipes J containing the grain elevator by a clamp the grain spout. M for. receiving the cleaned grain isattached to the aspirato-r opening M. The source of air suction, is connected to aspirator head at clamp. N. Figure .1 shows the methodof attaching the expansionchamber or pipe "C so that the material removed from the wheat will be removed from the air before the air reaches the exhaustenD. Figure 6 shows a method of attaching the aspiratordirectly tow the oXha-uster D in which casethe material re moved from the. grain will be drawn through the .exhauster D, and may be either discharged into the threshing machine (not shown) or into the'air, kiyjmeans of a pipe S attached to exhauster ,or a cyclone collector (not shown) may be attached in such va way as to collect the material which may he placed in a suitable receptacle. In. operation the invention works as followsz The threshed grain is delivered from the thresher elevator in pipes J into the aspirator head-atO, the centrifugal. effect of the grain motion throwing it practically onto the centerof the distributing cone F, the grain collects on this coneuntil it naturally fiowsoverthe edge of the cone F and is collected in the cone U which conducts it to the grain spout M through the opening in M, As the grain flows off the pile collected on the inverted cone ,F. in a stream made of even thickness by adjusting level of cone F, a current of air enters the aspirator head at B flowing through the cone K and passing into the cylinder A, through the opening made by the plate I and the circular base K of cone K, passing upward through the thin circular sheet of falling grain,.lifting out the light particles which continue with the air through the opening if net grain falling throughtheupward expansion ,moved from the .under part of the attained.

moving air is not diverted from its course, the air carrying the light particles removed from the grain passes down the vertical connecting pipe Z into the expansion chamber C. The inertia of the material particles carry these particles beyond and out of the current of air which makes a reversal of the directionin the expansion chamber in order to pass out-throughthe pipe T to the exhaust fan I). The particles of material thus removed from the aircollect on to) of the upper valve P, located in cylinder of the chamber C. VVhen suilicieut weight of particles have collected on the upper valve, 1 a slight opening of this valve causes theair suction. pressure to be reupper valvc l and become effective at the lower valve 1?, holding that valve tightly closed. With the removal. of the suction pressure from thecupper valve P the weight of material readily opens this valvcby swinging on hinge P and it drops through the opening onto, the top of the lower valve .P the weightuQ of the upper valve P now automatically closesthe upper valve Paud the weight. of thematcrial onthe lower valve P slightlyopens the valve permitting the air suction pressure to heagain transferred to the upper valve P, This suction pressure being removed, the weight of the material on the upper part of the lower valve P forces this valve-open and thematerial drops into anysuitable receptacle (not shown). Thus by; the alternate action of these two automatic valves 1 1 the collected material is removed from the expansion chamber 0 with out releasing the suction in the system. The

amount of suction. which determines the cleaning efi ect of the aspirator is controlled 3y thethrottle E. This permits the operator to increase or dccreaseqthe cleaning elfect as maybe deemed desirable from the appearance of the cleaned grain and the material removed... The operation of my de vice. requires power to drive the exhauster D, which provides the source of air suction.

My invention has no moving parts except the automatic valves 1 in the expansion chamber G and the adjustment features E and G mentioned above. Once adjusted to a constant threshing condition, the device requires no further attention until a new adjustment of valve E is desired. By the sim ple adjustment, of valve E the whole range of cleaning possibilities of the aspirator is 7 From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advam tages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description and-it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing llU liiU

from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

A grain aspirator, consisting of a chamber through which the grain to be treated may flow a shallow inverted cone in said chamber ior the reception and temporary retention of the grain and over which the grain may flow, a grain spout at the lower portion of said chamber for the discharge of the grain, an air inlet opposite said spout and in communication with said chamber, means for causing a flow of air through said air inlet and through the grain as it falls ERASTUS N. BATES. 

